Stoker fuel distributor



Dec. 27, 1932. I A. M. HUN'I STOKER FUEL DISTRIBUTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 20,1928

III,

INVENTOR Andrew M. Hunt BY ATTORNEY Dec. 27, 1932. A. M. HUNT 7 1,892,395

swoxsn FUEL DISTRIBUTOR Filed Dec. 20, 1928 ZSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR An drew M.Huni

BY GGQWZ/VZMMW A TTORNE Y Patented Dec. 2 1932 IUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANDREW M. HUNT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE STANDARD STOKER COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE STOKER FUEL DISTRIBUTOR Application filed December 20, 1928. Serial No. 827,261..

This invention relates to stoker devices and more especially to locomotive stokers. The main obJect of the invention is to provide a new and improved construction of floor element, or what may well be called a distributor plate, over which the coal or other fuel passes as it leaves the stoker and is distributed over the firebed.

In the usual forms of locomotive stokers to which this invention is applicable, the forward mouth of the conduit system or its distributing end portion projects at the under side to a greater or less extent through the fire door or other opening into the firebox of the boiler where it is subjected to a high degree of heat which moreover varies in intensity. As a consequence this distributing end portion burns or Wears out, breaks away or becomes defective so that frequent replacements are necessary. As conduit systems and the distributor plates therefor have heretofore been constructed, such replacements have been troublesome to make and the expense and the time consumed have been comparatively great, as it has been necessary to dismantle the stoker mechanism to some extent in order to detach it sufiiciently to have access to its mouth portion or distributor plate for removing or replacing this part, which in existing constructions is of a considerable size and weight and even though only partially destroyed must be replaced in its entirety.

The present improvements have for their main purpose the reduction in time, trouble and expense in effecting replacement of the floor or distributor plate at the conduit month without cooling ofli' the firebox or dumping the fire.

To this end in carrying out the invention, one of the important features is the provision of a distributor plate or floor element of which the exposed portion thereof which is destroyed or burns away faster than its other portions can be readily detached, removed and replaced without destroying any of its other portions and is, when in place, comparatively rigid and unified with the conduit, the construction being such that the necessary draft passages associated with the plate or table are maintained. This, and other important advantages of the invention will be more particularly described and explained in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is, a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the mouth portion of a stoker conduit system embodying the preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the section line 2-2 of Figure 1;

' Fig. 3 is a perspective view of therear part or receiving portion on which the distributor plate proper is detachably mounted; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the forward.

part or distributor tached.

In the drawings, the rear wall or water leg of a locomotive boiler is fragmentarily shown and designated by the numeral 10, said rear wall having a fire opening indicated at 11. The conduit-system fragmentarily shown herein comprises an inclined portion or riser 12 which. as is well understood, is at the forward end of a series of trough and conduit elements leading from the source of fuel supply. The riser 12 at its upper end terminates in a horizontally disposed end portion 13 outside the boiler wall 10 to which wall said end portion is detachably secured in any well known manner.

The riser is topped or surmounted by a cover plate 14 which may be hinged or otherwise mounted so as to' be moved relatively to the conduit, the construction being such that when the cover is swung up or moved out of operative position it leaves an opening through which access may be had to the interior of the conduit, particularly the inwardly extending portion 13.

As is well understood and is more or less apparent from Figs. 1 and 2, the riser 12 flares or expands outwardly as it rises so that its end portion 13 is of greater width than the lower or body portion and is generally rectangular in cross section, its corners, however, being rounded ofi' as shown. The under side of the portion 13 is cut away as indicated at 15 and fitted in the cutaway portion is a detachable member or table-like element desplate proper shown deignated as a whole by the numeral 16 and best shown in Fig. '3. The member or element 16 comprises a floor portion proper 17 having at its reara flange 18 and provided with forwardly extending arms or ribs 19 Connected by a cross web 20, the plane of the cross web being below the top faces of the ribs. Projecting laterally outward from each of the ribs 19 is a centering lug 21. The flanged slotted to receive a plate-like distributor head 23 having forwardly projecting jet openings 24 through which the steam or other dis-- tributing fluid is expelled, said fluid being supplied through pipes 25 connected to the lower portion of the head 23, all in a known manner. In order to adapt the member 16 to have attached to it the novel distributor plate proper, the forward portion of the floor 17 is formed with a slot or mortise, said slot being designated as 26. More particularly from Figs. 2 and'3 it will be observed'that the slot 26 is wide at its rear end, the rear wall being straight and the part opposite to it terminating in an open mouth which is led up to byinwardly and forwardly inclined walls opposite to'the straight wall.

The improved distributor plate or floor element. designated as a whole by the numeral 27, is clearly shown in its entirety in Fig. 4. ,Said element comprises a floor or receiving face 28 having laterally disposed depressions or pockets 29 and being cut away at its under side as indicated at 30 to fit over the ribs 19, the cut-away having side walls 31. Projecting rearward from the floor 28 is a tongue-like portion 32 terminating in a reduced end or lip 33 whose upper surface is in a plane below the plane of the tongue 32, the latter in turn being on the same level with the floor 28.'

It will be observed that the distributor plate or member 27 is a unitary device, 1ts simplified form readily adapting it to be made of cast metal in one piece.

When the distributor plate 27 is in place as illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2, its floor or fuel surface 28 will be in the same horizontal plane with the floor 17 of the member 16, thus facilitating a smooth and uninterrupted passage of the fuel in its movement through the fire opening 11 and-into the interior of the boiler. At this time the tongue or tenon 32 will be interlocked with the slot or mortise 26, the floor 28 resting on the ribs 19 and the outer faces of the lugs 21 contacting with the walls 31 so as to prevent side slip or displacement. The lip 33 underlies the floor plate 17, preventing accidental upward displacement of the rear end of the plate27 whereby the tongue 32 might be disengaged from the slot 26. In effect it will be seen that the members 16 and 27 are securely interlocked in substantially rigid relationship. The mortise and tenon connection 26, 32 prevents forward displacement of-the member 27. This connection will also tend to prevent side disthe root of the tongue from unnecessary strain, the lugs 21 co-operate closely with the side walls 31 of the under-cut 30, the distance between said side walls being so related to the distance between the outer faces of the lugs 21 as to permit a comparatively close fitting down of the member 27, and permitting it to rest on its supporting arms or ribs 19.

As has been stated, the lip or locking device 33 will prevent the rear end of the member 27 from accidentally rising and any tendency at the forward side to rise will be overcome by its own weight. The whole construction provides a simple yet effective interlocking relationship between the two members 16 and 27 the former being in effect a permanent, though detachable, part of the conduit system and the member 27 being a readily detached end element thereof.

The member 27 can be very quickly removed when it is used with a conduit system, the mouth portion of which, as shown in Fig. 1, is in communication with the lower portion of a firing opening common to stoker and hand firing, that portion of the opening for hand firing being above the stoker conduit and closed by the usual or ordinary hand or power operated door as at D. It is only necessary to open the door D to gain access to the member 27, then to pull upward on its forward end, causing it to turn about the rear line of contact between the tongue 32 and slot 26. This is graphically illustrated in Fig. 1 which shows in dotted lines the position of the member 27 shortly after the detaching swing has started. This movement may readily be efi'ected by a wire hitch passed around the forwardly projecting end portion of the member, it being only necessary to pull or actuate the hitch through the firing opening resulting from opening the door D, in order to enable the member 27 to be pulled therethrough to the outside. A reversal of this operation will result in ready attachment of the same or a new member 27 in proper position for use. Where the stoker conduit is adapted to deliver fuel through an opening not common for hand firing, the removal of the member 27 can readily be made in the manner above described by withdrawing of the cover 14 of the stoker conduit and removplacement of the parts; but in order to relieve ing the member 27 through the opening thus.

formed.

It will be observed from Fig. 1 that with the"member 27 in place-its forward end proside of the floor 28 and the upper face of the web 20; other passages 35 lying outsidethe ribs 19 and between the bottom of the fire opening 11 and the bottom of the member 27. Communication of these passage-ways with the outside air is effected through a mouth or entrance opening designated as 36.

In effect the invention provides a fuel directing plate portion or member which is securely held in place without the aid of screws or other separate securing means, it being only necessary to swing the element in aparticular direction in order to efl'ectits detachment. From another aspect, which is considered an important one, it may be said that there is provided a two-part fuel element or plate, namely, the parts 16 and 27. which two parts may be detached as a whole from the riser element 12 by unscrewing and withdrawing the bolts or screws 22; while if it is only desired to detach one of the two parts from the other this may be effected by the swinging movement as described.

The invention was particularly designed for employment with a mechanically operated stoker system comprising a conduit or fuel receiving system. with the terminal portion or mouth whereof, whence the fuel passes through the fire opening into the firebox, the new and improved detachable plate is connected. It will be plain, however, that the novel fuel plate is not necessarily restricted in its use or association to the illustrative example.

It will be apparent that various constructional changes may be made without departing from the invention.

I claim:

1. A fuel distributor for stokers comprising a two-part fuel plate adapted to project into a firebox, one part supporting the other part and the two parts being detachably connected so as to prevent relative movement between them in the direction in which the fuel passes over them, the two parts being connected by a mortise and tenon' joint and one part fitting also into the other so to prevent sidewise displacement at its inner end. said tenon forming a portion of the floor of said fuel plate.

2. A fuel distributor for stokers comprising a two-part fuel plate adapted to project into a firebox. one part supporting the other part and the two parts being detachably connected so as to prevent relative movement between them in the direction in which the fuel passes over them, the detachable connection comprising a mortise and tenon joint at one point and at another point one part fitting into the other so as to prevent sidewise displacement, the inner part having a tongue underlying the other part so as to prevent upward displacement, and arranged to swing about its line of connection with the other part for disconnecting the two parts.

3. A fuel distributor for stokers comprising a two-part fuel plate adapted to project inward through the firing opening of a firebox; the rear part of said plate having inwardly projecting supporting arms connected by a cross web -'and beingformed with a mortise or slot. said arms being provided with laterally extending lugs, the front or inner part resting on said arms and being spaced upward from said web to provide an air passage, said inner part being formed with a ten on adapted to the mortise and having an underlying tongue engaging the rear part, said inner part also'having lateral fuel pockets and being undercut between said pockets to fit over and engage lugs projecting laterally from said supporting arms.

4. A fuel distributor for stokers comprising a two-part fuel plate, one part thereof being provided with a dove-tail mortise and the other part being provided with a dovetail tenon accommodated in said mortise and preventing longitudinal and lateral movement of the two parts. said tenon forming a portion of the floor of the distributor and one of the parts of said plate being provided with a tongue underlying the other part.

5. In combination with a firebox having a firing opening, a stoker system comprising a conduit element communicating at its forward end with the lower portion of said firing opening, a distributor plate having interlocking fore and rear parts projecting forwardly through said firing'opening into said firebox from the lower edge of the open forward end of said conduit element, said distributor fore part being arranged for upward angular movement about a forward edge portion of the rear part of said distributor plate, the forward edge of said fore part passing beneath the upper edge of the open forward end of said conduit member as the said fore part is moved upwardly about said forward edge portion of said rear part of the distributor plate.

6. In combination with a firebox having a firing opening, a stoker system comprising a conduit element communicating at its open forward end with said firing opening, a dis- 1 tributor plate having a fore part and a rear part, said fore part being provided with a tenon and said rear part with a mortise receiving said tenon preventing relative longitudinal and lateral movement between said parts andmeans formed with said rear part for supporting said fore part, said distributor plate projecting forwardly through said firing opening into said firebox from the lower edge of the open forward end of said conduit element, said distributor fore part being arranged for upward angular movement about a forward edge portion of the rear part of said distributor plate, the for ward edge of said fore part passing beneath the upper edge of the open forward end of said conduit member as the said fore part is moved upwardly about said forward edge pprtion of said rear part of the distributor ate.

p 7. In a stoker, a distributor plate comprising a rear section and a front section, the rear section having means for supporting the front section against swinging downward movement, said rear and front sections each being provided with one element of an interlocking means cooperating to detachably connect saidfront and rear sections, said interlocking means being arranged with no part thereof protruding above the fuel receiving surface of either of said sections.

8. In a stoker, a distributor member arranged to permit fuel to pass thereover for distribution over a fire comprising separable rear and front sections, the rear section having means underlying the front section restraining downward movement of the same, said rear and front sections each being provided with one element of an interlocking means cooperating to detachably connect said front and rear sections, said interlocking means being arranged with no part thereof protruding above the fuel receiving surface of either of said sections.

9. In a stoker, a distributor member arranged to permit fuel to pass thereover for distribution over a fire comprising separable rear and front sections, the rear section having means underlying the front section reprotruding above the fuel receiving surface straining downward movement of the same, said rear and front sections each being provided with one element of an interlocking means cooperating to detachably connect said front and rear sections, said interlocking means being arranged with no part thereof of either of said sections, and a lip carried by said front section and projecting rearwardly underneath said rear section.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

ANDREW M. HUNT. 

